OPINION: Pathological insensitivity: Duterte does not care

Buddy Gomez - Cyberbuddy

Over Maundy Thursday and Good Friday, I shared my time for contemplation and reflection with a review of international media coverage of President Duterte’s war on drugs. That, too, required, contemplation and reflection, you know. It was agonizing. Tedious to watch, what with bloody gory graphics. It was Philippine reality staring you in the face. It was painful. Our Motherland under siege!

I reviewed available footage of video-audio coverage from all mainstream electronic media. These included professional reportage as well as influential editorial commentary. Insofar as the state of the country mired in the on-going Duterte-inspired, sanctioned and sponsored drug war is concerned, there is nothing salutary much less complimentary. Sad! This archive of contemporary history carries voluminous clips of the President spewing profanities, bragging claims and admissions of his personal knowledge and participation in what the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines has courageously labelled as “reign of terror!” I came away deducing two easy-to-understand impressions:

One: President Duterte, as the forthcoming accused of crimes against humanity, has already enrolled himself as “Witness No. 1.” Against himself! When the matter of his personal participation in and responsibility for human rights atrocities finally reaches the International Criminal Court, the materiality of his recorded utterances is unassailable. These will be unimpeachably damning!

Two: The sheer volume, color, drama and graphics of this archived material makes the United Nations side session brief video presentation of Vice President Leni Robredo on extrajudicial killings look puny and almost inconsequential, but for the fact of the Vice President as source. Let us recall how much disparaged and reviled she was for that confirmatory video presentation. ‘Confirmatory’ because her material was really nothing new! Unfortunately, on the basis of that video, Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez and that noisome horde of ’Dutertard’ suck-ups and zealots have purported to mount an impeachment case against the President Leni. Well, nothing could be more remarkably stupid!

Because I am sure you missed this. And so did media!

I also viewed and listened to another Duterte palaver. His usual long-winded extempo remarks, this in Bahrain in the presence of 6,000 misguided Overseas Filipino Workers, before enplaning home. I am not nit-picking. But PDuts, enjoying himself with his usual serial expressions of distaste for anyone critical of his drug war, seized another opportunity to cast very crude profanities. His target at this particular juncture was the European Union.

He said in a half finished sentence--“Iyang EU.” (That EU!)…… “ E-Ut!" ( E-YUT ), punning! “Iyut” in Visayan means F_CK! The President of the Philippines in an open forum was leering as he was actually cussing the European Union: “Screw you!”

How would you feel if you were an OFW or part of the Filipino diaspora in your host European country? The President of your mother country flagrantly spitting on your European host! That is so unFilipino! But, oh, so very Duterte!

Pathological insensitivity! Duterte does not care. But you should!

POLICE AND EJKs

Does anybody still care about the reputation of the police as an institution?

Yes, there are still quarters in the country’s peace and order establishment that certainly do. And they need help and support. The caring, concerned and righteous citizenry must come to the fore. The recent revelation--“The State-Sponsored Extrajudicial Killings in the Philippines” document, as reported by Reuters, attests to this fervent hope.

Righteous retired police officers in commiseration with untainted and still idealistic young inductees can provide a gleam of hope towards redeeming the lost public esteem the law-enforcing institution has suffered as a consequence of the prevalent bloodlust we have witnessed since the ex-Mayor of Davao City made it to Malacanang as a minority President.

Could there possibly be a slow ferment of soulful discontent simmering and rising within the truly caring and concerned ranks of our police establishment? It would be prudent for the citizenry to be vigilant and militant. It would indeed be patriotic to render unto the stalwarts of peace and order support and encouragement for a cleansing. For starters, perhaps the parish leadership, both lay and cassocked, must commence an outreach towards the police precinct.

Deliverance from Duterte! What a sublime undertaking! How to achieve this requires a leader(s). We should be looking for signs. And for all we know, there is already virtuous action now ascending! We cannot allow the police to be a lost cause!

The document “The State-Sponsored Extrajudicial Killings in the Philippines” was put together by a retired police intelligence office and an active duty commander. They drew from the resources compiled by “12 active personnel with ranks ranging from Police Chief Superintendent…to Police Officer and 5 retired Personnel.” There lies our corps of hope!

NEW SHERIFFS?

Here is a scenario that can be surmised from what may have actually happened:

While the metropolis was asleep, a new sheriff moved into the police station! Many policemen reported back to their respective stations the following morning only to find that their chiefs and superiors have been replaced overnight. Reportedly, replacements come from previous Mindanao assignments. Under prevailing “Dutertard” circumstances, this ought to be raising eyebrows. Should it not?

This presents a challenging tip for reporters. It is fair professional pursuit for journalists to chase relevant information.

In connection with this scenario: Who are these new replacements? How many suspicious transferees are there? Where were their previous assignments? Reputations and thumbnail bio sketches must follow, of course. All in a day’s work for an enterprising beat reporter. And possibly, a matrix that could very possibly be filled in with confirming data to evince a pattern of personnel reassignments that just might indicate the build up of a syndicate of trusted police officers from Mindanao, all beholden to “you-know-who,” deployed in Metro Manila for “you-know-what” operations! Just inquiring.

Disclaimer:The views in this blog are those of the blogger and do not necessarily reflect the views of ABS-CBN Corp.